When I was very young, I'm almost 50 now, there were older people at a home where my great grandmother lived that would stumble or mumble down the hallways. I wondered about their strange behaviors and asked my great grandma once what was wrong with them. She replied simply "They were touched in the head." I didn't know what that meant so she expanded in kid speak for me. "It means that something is there, touching them in places in their brains that make them act that way." I wondered about that for a while but like a normal kid, forgot all about it, being distracted by rainbows and summer days. Your talk just made all that crashing back, including the smell of that home, the creaking of the wheelchairs, and the shambling, mumbling of the "touched".
One presentation like this every year and the subscription to this channel would already be justified. What an excellent video this is, can't like it enough.
I keep coming back to this talk after years. Yes, this isn't a topic that will immediately influence my life, nor does it suggest mind blowing alternatives for humanity. But the speaker is so. damn. good. at what he does. He has a clear intro, a grasping presentation and a chilling conclusion where he's not trying to convince the audience to believe the same thing that he does, but rather invites to explore possibilities. He's also succinct and has excellent speaking pace as well. What an example of oral presentation.
For Mr. Yong: Thank you for a great talk. For the cat haters in the room: As a dog person and the daughter of a cat-hating person, I hated felines most of my life, but when a neighbour's cat appeared one day in my living room, I immediately opened a can of tuna, not knowing that even well-fed cats often do this. I did not touch her and was horrified when she jumped onto the counter. I had never been anywhere near cats or near people who had cats. But if I see a sick or hungry animal, I have to feed it, I have done this since I was a child. Now I love cats for the incredible creatures that they are, much better -in every way that matters to me- than most humans, who are great manipulators and parasites and virulent envenomers, even if they don't live inside your body.
Human beings are our own parasites. We, or some minority, always think we should or could or want to have the right to tell other people what to do, and to a large extent many of us don't really care what it might take to bring that about. Look at all the wars and violence that we have. We care more about that than maintaining the planet we live on - obviously. This is a very fascinating talk - great job Ed!
INCREDIBLE! MUST-WATCH TedTalk! This talk funny, fluid and absolutely fascinating. It might be one of my very favorite Ted Talks ever. I'm not sure how accurate it is considering the distant source, but a friend of a friend of a relative who works in public health, told me that the CDC is definitely looking into the ties between Toxo and random acts of violence. It makes sense to me. I think people focus more on the ideology to explain behaviors - than on there being some other initial cause that drives people to the ideological pathways to support and justify the behavior they're being driven to express. So whether it's radical Islam, or White Supremecy or some other crazy 'reason', it's all could all just be a front to support the urges being programmed by such a parasitic invader. Could our main ideological compartments actually be divergent strains of parasitic puppeteers?
Toxoplasma Gondii. A very troubling parasite indeed. Once your body starts producing anti bodies to fight Toxoplasma Gondii you become more likely to have Alzheimer's Diseases, Parkinson's Diseases, OCD, and Bipolar. Perhaps if we can somehow genetically modify Toxo into delivering dopamine without the ill effects it brings about, we can have a way of better delivering dopamine to our Parkinson's patients? It's a thought. This talk has been inspiring.
It's not a parasite per se, PANDAS, which is an abbreviation for Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal (Infections.) The term is used to describe a subset of children who usually have dramatic, "overnight" onset of symptoms of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), including motor or vocal tics, obsessions, and/or compulsions and/or tic disorders like Tourettes Syndrome. The PANDAS disorder is an autoimmune problem that attacks the brain and if left untreated can cause permanent damage. ________________________________________________________________ An extrapolation from this is if PANDAS causes OCD and Touretts behaviors then why couldn’t PANDAS also be linked to Autism? Since Strep is so prevalent in young children and PANDAS is caused by non symptomatic strep, it could be connected.
Ed Yong is an incredible writer; I did not know that he is also charismatic. Wow. I planned on buying his book but now I want to get an audio version instead. Either way, I’m sure it’ll be a fascinating read.
"parasites have perfected the art of manipulation to an incredible degree. So are they influencing us?".....I came to this video on the back of thinking about the UK Establishment and the Tory Party.
This is one of the few TED talks I truly enjoyed. Unlike the many talks where the audience is quite reluctant to laugh, and clap for the speaker, this one was great. Very well spoken, and informative. Bravo to Ed, for not coming off as another smug, and elitist speaker that reeks of TED.
I am so excited to see him continue this research. Although it may be even more and more disturbing as he makes more of these discoveries, I know his passion will guide him to be able to use his research to benefit us all. I hope it at least makes us all consider the possibilities of individual and mass manipulation existing among humans. Thanks Ed Yong, and keep it up! :)
Absolutely fascinating! Not only is this one of the most interesting TED talks I have ever seen, the speaker is articulate, engaging and funny. This talk has given me an entirely new theory of human action and reaction. You MUST see this talk!
J.M. Studios useless to show to cat people,because they are very probably being controlled by a parasite already and won’t listen to any advice. You know how stubborn is a hijacked mind
Super interesting facts about parasitic life, some pretty sharp puns, and a guest appearance by a Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal comic? My god...I think this is the perfect TED talk...
Wow - great talk!! Informative but funny!! This was incredibly interesting..... Hmmm is that my own thoughts or has a parasite made me think this???!!!!!! ;-)
He's really, really easy to listen to. And very informative. 11/10
That's what parasites want you to think.
All hail the Hypno Toad.
that's exactly what a parasite would say!
wrr
This is one of the best TED talks I've ever seen!
007MrYang I know right
Agree 6 years after.
When I was very young, I'm almost 50 now, there were older people at a home where my great grandmother lived that would stumble or mumble down the hallways. I wondered about their strange behaviors and asked my great grandma once what was wrong with them. She replied simply "They were touched in the head." I didn't know what that meant so she expanded in kid speak for me. "It means that something is there, touching them in places in their brains that make them act that way." I wondered about that for a while but like a normal kid, forgot all about it, being distracted by rainbows and summer days. Your talk just made all that crashing back, including the smell of that home, the creaking of the wheelchairs, and the shambling, mumbling of the "touched".
Jeff learning about how to control our minds 10:16
One presentation like this every year and the subscription to this channel would already be justified. What an excellent video this is, can't like it enough.
I keep coming back to this talk after years. Yes, this isn't a topic that will immediately influence my life, nor does it suggest mind blowing alternatives for humanity. But the speaker is so. damn. good. at what he does. He has a clear intro, a grasping presentation and a chilling conclusion where he's not trying to convince the audience to believe the same thing that he does, but rather invites to explore possibilities. He's also succinct and has excellent speaking pace as well. What an example of oral presentation.
Well done ,I've never seen a standing ovation on Ted talks, fascinating
One the few TedTalks I definitely recommend.
eat prey, Love. best line on TED talks yet.
nodvick I like the NSA one better
I'm sorry officer, a parasite made me do it.
"This caterpillar is a head banging zombie body-guard defending the offspring of the creature that killed it"
Good design, god. Keep it classy.
This is one of the best Ted Talks I've seen in a long time
Damn nature, you scary!
Human is the most scary ^^
"Eat, prey, love" was a brilliant joke!
He made a grisly subject about parasite sounds so poetic! Now that's a true writer.
Excellent talk and delivery!
A most enjoyable and funny Talk about insects and parasites...amazing!
The way this man articulates himself is something we should all strive towards!
Ed Yong both funny and smart. Great Talk!
Watched over 10 times now.One of the best TED talks.
Ed Yong is a brilliant speaker. Funny, clear, and interesting. Bravo.
For Mr. Yong: Thank you for a great talk.
For the cat haters in the room: As a dog person and the daughter of a cat-hating person, I hated felines most of my life, but when a neighbour's cat appeared one day in my living room, I immediately opened a can of tuna, not knowing that even well-fed cats often do this. I did not touch her and was horrified when she jumped onto the counter. I had never been anywhere near cats or near people who had cats. But if I see a sick or hungry animal, I have to feed it, I have done this since I was a child. Now I love cats for the incredible creatures that they are, much better -in every way that matters to me- than most humans, who are great manipulators and parasites and virulent envenomers, even if they don't live inside your body.
Human beings are our own parasites. We, or some minority, always think we should or could or want to have the right to tell other people what to do, and to a large extent many of us don't really care what it might take to bring that about. Look at all the wars and violence that we have. We care more about that than maintaining the planet we live on - obviously. This is a very fascinating talk - great job Ed!
Nice try parasite
a7chemist Bet it took you all of 4 days to think that one up ... loser.
An amazing mind, articulate, knowledgeable, funny and quiet humble.
What a great talk.
This is the most brilliant, informative and entertaining talk I've heard in a while. Thumbs up for Mr. Yong!
Never in my life have I seen a talk on the eloquence of the parasite, and to add it was so wonderfully convincing. Great talk!
How amazing is this chap! I don't even like insects but was throughly entertained - more please!
Ed tong is a really good talker
" I've god a red dot on my face now don't I " Haha
Watched this talk over maybe four times. Love it.
Riktigt bra. En skicklig och humoristisk föreläsare.
Well that puts the last of us in a new perspective :S
***** Yup, I know. I've read up A LOT about the game. Still some new info in this one :)
disgusting
INCREDIBLE! MUST-WATCH TedTalk!
This talk funny, fluid and absolutely fascinating. It might be one of my very favorite Ted Talks ever.
I'm not sure how accurate it is considering the distant source, but a friend of a friend of a relative who works in public health, told me that the CDC is definitely looking into the ties between Toxo and random acts of violence.
It makes sense to me. I think people focus more on the ideology to explain behaviors - than on there being some other initial cause that drives people to the ideological pathways to support and justify the behavior they're being driven to express.
So whether it's radical Islam, or White Supremecy or some other crazy 'reason', it's all could all just be a front to support the urges being programmed by such a parasitic invader.
Could our main ideological compartments actually be divergent strains of parasitic puppeteers?
One of the best tedtalks I've watched, for sure, and surprisingly not many views
Captivating and creepy! What a strange and wondrous combination!
Such a good and clear speaker
i like this guy. easy to listen to and mixes in a good amount of humour to keep people interested.
Toxoplasma Gondii. A very troubling parasite indeed. Once your body starts producing anti bodies to fight Toxoplasma Gondii you become more likely to have Alzheimer's Diseases, Parkinson's Diseases, OCD, and Bipolar. Perhaps if we can somehow genetically modify Toxo into delivering dopamine without the ill effects it brings about, we can have a way of better delivering dopamine to our Parkinson's patients? It's a thought. This talk has been inspiring.
Coincidentally, I've recently being seeing that commercial on youtube about parasites that make you crave certain foods...like things high in sugar.
Wow dude that's a really spacious cricket! Awesome talk.
Fabulous lecture - great speaker.
It's not a parasite per se, PANDAS, which is an abbreviation for Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal (Infections.)
The term is used to describe a subset of children who usually have dramatic, "overnight" onset of symptoms of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), including motor or vocal tics, obsessions, and/or compulsions and/or tic disorders like Tourettes Syndrome.
The PANDAS disorder is an autoimmune problem that attacks the brain and if left untreated can cause permanent damage.
________________________________________________________________
An extrapolation from this is if PANDAS causes OCD and Touretts behaviors then why couldn’t PANDAS also be linked to Autism? Since Strep is so prevalent in young children and PANDAS is caused by non symptomatic strep, it could be connected.
Interesting, amusing and most of all wonderful speach!
He is so enjoyable to listen to! You don't even need to try to make parasites sound interesting, but he does an extraordinary job of it.
An excellent TED talk. He is a great public speaker.
Ed Yong is an incredible writer; I did not know that he is also charismatic. Wow. I planned on buying his book but now I want to get an audio version instead. Either way, I’m sure it’ll be a fascinating read.
How often does one get to use the phrase "headbanging zombie bodyguard" in an intellectual talk?
Absolutely amazing presentation!
"parasites have perfected the art of manipulation to an incredible degree. So are they influencing us?".....I came to this video on the back of thinking about the UK Establishment and the Tory Party.
Informative and well presented talk.
Maybe on every of those research determining the effects of parasites on human brain they should actually check if they have them.
Stuff like this is exactly why I want to go into the field of microbiology.
Who knew Zombie Cockroaches could be so interesting? This was really cool.
That was really good. Hopes he’s having a nice day
This is one of the few TED talks I truly enjoyed. Unlike the many talks where the audience is quite reluctant to laugh, and clap for the speaker, this one was great. Very well spoken, and informative. Bravo to Ed, for not coming off as another smug, and elitist speaker that reeks of TED.
I am so excited to see him continue this research. Although it may be even more and more disturbing as he makes more of these discoveries, I know his passion will guide him to be able to use his research to benefit us all. I hope it at least makes us all consider the possibilities of individual and mass manipulation existing among humans. Thanks Ed Yong, and keep it up! :)
Mass manipulation? Look at the MAGA crowd.
Ed Yong that was amazing!
The man's face at the bottom left conner after the 7:40 explanation is priceless
That _Pride and Prejudice_ reference was so smoothly put into a video about parasites. Most impressive.
Oh he's punny!
this is scary
That... was completely amazing. And very interesting too. :) Good job!
Loved this, seriously considering parasitology now
man this guy is really good at this
i'm surprised he didn't bring up cordyceps. but still, great talk - better than most, not because of the content but the presentation.
wow... did not expect that voice to come out... easy listening
Great presentation
Amazing, simply amazing, inspiring speech, prolific writer
Absolutely fascinating! Not only is this one of the most interesting TED talks I have ever seen, the speaker is articulate, engaging and funny. This talk has given me an entirely new theory of human action and reaction. You MUST see this talk!
Something to share with your cat lover friends on Facebook.
+J.M. Studios I was looking for this comment.
J.M. Studios useless to show to cat people,because they are very probably being controlled by a parasite already and won’t listen to any advice. You know how stubborn is a hijacked mind
i genuinely love this guy and loved this talk so MUS
Great talk. Masterful rendering of a topic most fascinating.
Harold? Who knew White Castle makes you so smart....
i automatically thought that too lmao
Super interesting facts about parasitic life, some pretty sharp puns, and a guest appearance by a Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal comic? My god...I think this is the perfect TED talk...
Excellent talk!
this was an awesome talk. concise, precise, and fun! Idk why there would be any thumbs down...
Absolutely amazing! What a stunning talk!
That explains the high views of cat videos on youtube!
Reminds me of the suicidal people in bird box
One of my favorites now
This really helped me understand parasites, Thanks!
Good speaker, good topic.
Ed is fantastic. His book on the microbiome is as well.
This TOTally explains the "crazy cat lady"!!! 😂
I love an asian who speaks with an impeccable British accent.
captivating talk ed
That part where the worm was coming out of the cricket made me gag.
I love this guy, smart great science writer
Now _that's_ a TED Talk!
I'm starting to itch now...
Very informative and thoroughly entertaining talk. One of the best TED Talks that educated me on a topic I know nothing about. Thank you Ed Young!
really well delivered
Amazing Ted talk
I love this guy. Very educational and hilarious.
I like this Guy and his brain
Yes. I have done lots of research of the toxoplasma gondii!
Wow - great talk!! Informative but funny!! This was incredibly interesting..... Hmmm is that my own thoughts or has a parasite made me think this???!!!!!! ;-)
9 people have a parasite in their brain telling them not to like this amazing speech.
Wow. Great topic. Great puns. Great talk.
Very intriguing! I wonder what we will learn tomorrow...
Sounds quiet scary. Isn't it?